Blocking device for sliding-lifting roofs for automobile

ABSTRACT

A sliding-lifting roof of an automobile including a blocking device which prevent sliding movement during tilting movements thereof. The blocking device is not effective during sliding movements. The sliding-lifting roof is guided along guide rails fixed laterally to the roof opening by oppositely located forward and rear guide shoes. The roof is connected to the rear shoes by pivoting-out elements and is connected to the forward shoes in a manner allowing pivoting about a horizontal axis traverse to the direction of sliding. The blocking device includes a control rod attached to the rear guide shoe and slidably guided on the forward guide shoe. A detent element fitted to the forward guide shoe and actuated by the control rod may be engaged with a recess formed in the guide rail to prevent sliding during tilting movements.

This invention relates to a blocking device for sliding-lifting roofsfor automobiles. The term "sliding-lifting roofs" is to be understoodalso to include top sliding-lifting roofs, in which the sliding-liftingroof unit is mounted on and fixed to the fixed roof surface of anautomobile.

Blocking devices of this type for sliding-lifting roofs are alreadyknown in various forms of construction (e.g. DE 33 00 308 C2). They havethe purpose of preventing incorrect functioning during driving of thesliding lid, on the one hand by blocking the sliding lid against slidingmovements when the sliding lid is tilted outwards or is performinginward pivoting movements, and on the other hand of releasing thesliding lid for sliding movements when it is lowered (sliding-liftingroof) slightly at its rear edge out of its closed position into itsdisplacement position, or is raised (top sliding-lifting roof) for thesame purpose. It is typical of blocking devices of this type that theyconsist of stationary elements and of slidably movable elementscooperating in controlled manner therewith. The known devices in generalrequire accurate setting and adjustment for proper functioning, and arefrequently composed of many parts and are therefore costly, especiallywhen they comprise articulated components, such as two-armed levers.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a blocking devicewhich shall be of especially simple construction while also reliable inoperation.

According to the basic concept of this invention, the relativedisplacements that take place between the rear and the front guideshoes, in the outward tilting and inward pivoting movements, areutilized for controlling the blocking and detent elements whichaccording to this invention are allocated to the front and rear guideshoes. In this way, an especially simple and reliable construction ofthe device is achieved. The control rod fixed to the rear guide shoeacts upon the detent element pivotally mounted on the forward guide shoeand determines whether the detent element is held in the associated,stationary detent recess to prevent displacements of the lid or can moveout of this recess to make lid sliding movements possible.

The arrangement ensures, in a simple manner, that the detent element,after it has been released by the control rod, moves out of the detentrecess driven by spring force. Within the framework of the invention,however, a positive control of the detent element by the control rod isalso possible in the sense that the control rod actively lifts thedetent element out of the detent recess.

An especially simple form of construction is obtained if, the springforce acting upon the detent element is applied by a leaf spring, whichalso provides the pivotal connection of the detent element to theforward guide shoe.

The advantageous form of construction ensures that the blocking elementswhich are disengaged during the opening sliding and, of course, also inall intermediate slid positions, can act upon one another in theblocking position without application of large force, the detent elementbeing reliably displaced, exclusively towards the detent recess.

The advantageous arrangement of the guide surface on the forward guideshoe ensures, in all relative positions between the forward and the rearguide shoes, a supported sliding guide bearing of the control rod,without the control rod being able to overtake or slide over the detentelement when the latter is not opposite the associated detent recess.

For proper control functioning of the blocking device, it is onlybasically the stated relative length of the control rod that is ofimportance, without complex adjustments needing to be performed.

An example of embodiment, which relates to the application of thisinvention in a top sliding-lifting roof is explained below in moredetail with reference to the drawings. The figures in the drawings show:

FIG. 1 a partial plan on an automobile roof with top sliding-liftingroof mounted thereon, with the sliding lid in the closed position,

FIGS. 2 to 5, sectional views on the lines II--II to V--V in FIG. 1,

FIGS. 6 to 9, in partial, cut-away, different plan views, blockingelements for preventing undesired sliding movements of the sliding lid,illustrated for various positions of the lid,

FIG. 10 a partial, cut-away plan on a rear guide shoe and associatedguide block,

FIG. 11 a partial sectional elevation along the line XI--XI of FIG. 10with the sliding lid pivoted out,

FIG. 12 a sectional view similar to FIG. 11 with sliding lid closed,

FIG. 13 a sectional view similar to FIGS. 11 and 12 with the sliding lidraised for the opening displacement,

FIG. 13a a sectional view similar to FIG. 13 with the sliding lid of asliding-lifting roof (not fitted above the fixed roof), lowered for theopening displacement,

FIG. 14 a partial sectional elevation along the line XIV--XIV in FIG.11,

FIG. 15 a partial sectional elevation along the line XV--XV in FIG. 1,and

FIG. 16 a sectional detail to larger scale corresponding to thesectioned circle XVI in FIG. 15.

On the fixed roof surface 1 of an automobile body, a sliding-liftingroof unit is mounted. In the roof surface ]there is a roof opening 2,which can be closed by a sliding lid 3, which is constructed as a glasslid but can also be made of metal or plastics. The sliding lid 3, in itsclosed position shown in FIG. 1, overlaps the roof opening 2 on allsides and is slidable over the rear, fixed roof surface 1 to expose theroof opening 2. The sliding lid 3 is surrounded at the front and sidesby an outer frame 4, on which the sliding lid 3 is guided in a manner tobe explained and which serves as mounting frame for the preassembledsliding-lifting roof unit. The outer frame 4 is open to the rear(FIG. 1) and extends with its lateral arms over the entire openingdisplacement distance of the sliding lid 3. Beneath the fixed roofsurface 1 a counter-frame 5 is mounted opposite the outer frame 4, thiscounter-frame being firmly connected to the outer frame 4 by screws 6with insertion of a sealing strip 7 between the outer frame 4 and theroof surface 1. The counter-frame 5 surrounds the roof opening 2 also onthree sides and is also orientated towards the rear with its free ends,the length of the lateral arms being adapted to the length of thelateral arms of the outer frame 4.

The fixed roof surface 1 is provided, at the roof opening 2, with aperipheral, uniform upward flange 8, onto which a sealing profile 9,also extending all around and having the same section throughout itslength, is pushed, which sealing profile bears against the closedsliding lid 3 from below to create a peripheral seal for the roofopening 2. The sealing profile is provided, in its upper region facingtowards the sliding lid 3, with a hollow chamber 10 which increases itsflexibility.

The counter-frame 5, in the example shown, is profiled from metal sheetand has a constant profile over its entire length. In the vicinity ofits inner edge there is a downwardly projecting corrugation 11, to whicha guide frame 12, also surrounding the roof opening 2 on three sides andwith its ends oriented backwards, is attached by clips 13 or the like,which guide frame is provided on its inner side with a projecting strip14, intended for bearing upwardly against the fixed roof surface 1, thisstrip lying approximately flush with the upward flange 8 of the roofsurface 1. Furthermore, the guide frame 12 is provided, over its entirelength, with an inwardly orientated guide groove 15, in which thelateral edges of a slidable solar protective panel 16 are guided. If thesolar protective panel 16 is pushed fully forwards to cover the roofopening 2 entirely, as indicated in FIG. 15, then its forward edge ispushed into the forward transverse part of the guide groove 15. When thesliding lid 3 is made of metal, a solar protective panel 16 can bedispensed with. The inner face of the roof surface 1, including thecounter-frame 5 and the guide frame 12, is covered by a lining shell 17,lining the upper internal space of the vehicle, which has an openingapproximately corresponding to the roof opening 2.

The outer frame 4 is constructed in one piece with integrated guiderails and comprises a downwardly, inwardly open profiled channel 18,from which depart two adjacently situated guide grooves 19 and 20,forming the guide rails. The guide grooves 19 and 20 are slightly offsetin height, so that beneath a profiled flange 21, forming the lowerboundary of the guide groove 20, a lateral passage gap 22 is formedbetween the roof surface 1 and the profiled flange 21 to permit passageof guide components, yet to be described, for the sliding lid 3. In theguide grooves 19 and 20, a front guide shoe 23 and a rear guide shoe 24are slidably guided on each of the two sides of the sliding lid 3.

In the outer frame 4, above the guide grooves 19 and 20 for the guideshoes 23 and 24, there are also situated alongside each other two guidechannels 25 and 26 for flexible drive cables 27, guided slidably thereinin pressure-stiff manner. On each side of the lid one of the drivecables 27 is connected by an entraining dog 28 force-transmittingly to arear guide shoe 24. The guide channels 25 and 26 open in slits towardsthe profiled channel 18, so that the entraining dogs 28 can penetratethrough the slit-shaped openings to the relevant drive cables 27. In theforward transverse portion of the outer frame 4, a drive pinion 29 isrotatably journalled in the region between the two drive cables 27. Thedrive cables 27 are provided, in the manner usual for cable drives ofthis type, with a helical wire peripheral winding, which engages in themanner of a toothed rack into the teeth of the drive pinion 29, so thatrotations of the drive pinion 29 cause displacements of the drive cables27, of the rear guide shoes 24 connected therewith and of the functionalcomponents connected thereto and still to be explained. As isfurthermore evident from FIG. 15, a drive shaft 30 is torsionally lockedto the drive pinion 29, and leads to a hand-operated or motor-drivendrive apparatus.

The outer frame 4 is rounded or chamfered at its outer periphery towardsthe fixed roof surface 1, to form a streamlined transition to this roofsurface 1.

The outer frame 4 is flush, at its upper surface 31, with the upper faceof the sliding lid 3, with the interposition of an edge gap seal 32. Inthis way the top sliding roof has a completely smooth outer shape. Theedge gap seal surrounds the lid in its closed position at its front andits two lateral edges and furthermore extends over the entire length ofthe lateral arms of the outer frame 4. For fitting the edge gap seal 32,a seating groove 33 is provided at the upper, inner edge of the outerframe 4. In the vertical face, forming the seating groove 33, a back-cutfixing groove 34 for receiving a dovetail fixing projection 35 of theedge gap seal 32 is provided. In the region of the lateral arms of theouter frame 4, the edge gap seal 32 is constructed as a hollow chamberprofile, as can be seen from FIGS. 2 to 5. In the region of the forwardtransverse portion of the outer frame 4, the edge gap seal 32, incontrast, is formed without a hollow chamber as a solid profile, so thatin this region the elastic deformability of the edge gap seal 32 isreduced. Moreover, on this forward region of the edge gap seal 32, aninclined surface 37, associated with the rounded forward edge 36 of thesliding lid 3, is provided on the solid material profile. When thesliding lid 3 in its closure displacement meets this inclined surface37, it is thereby displaced slightly downwards and thus pressed againstthe sealing profile 9. If the sliding lid 3 is tilted upwards at itsrear edge, the forward edge 36 is guided downwards along the inclinedsurface 37, with the result that the formation of a gap between theouter frame 4 and the front edge 36 of the lid is prevented.

The single-piece, U-shaped outer frame 4 may be provided, to facilitatebending at its two front corners, with cut-outs 38, of which the left,forward cut-out is shown in FIG. 1 in dot-and-dash line. The cut-outs 38are closed by shaped inserts fitted after bending.

For a more detailed explanation of the guiding and functional componentsfor the sliding lid 3, reference is made in correspondence with theattached drawings exclusively to the left side of the sliding-liftingroof as seen in the direction of travel, because the right side isconstructed as a mirror-image thereto.

The forward guide shoe 23 has a guide plate 39 with upwardly andoutwardly bent guide projections 40 and 41, which engage slidably intothe associated guide grooves 19, 20 respectively. The guide projections40 and 41 may, in order to reduce friction, be provided with slidingshoes of plastics (not shown). The guide plate 39 is firmly connected toa lower base plate 42, which penetrates at its front end without contactthrough the gap 22 with a pivot bearing projection 43 and terminatesunderneath the sliding lid 3 with a vertical bearing flange 44. In thisregion, in the vicinity of the front edge of the lid and at a distancefrom its longitudinal edge, a front lid beam 45 is firmly connected tothe lower side of the sliding lid 3, for example by gluing. The lid beamis of angle-section and is pivotally connected, with its downwardlypointing flange 46, to the bearing flange 44 by means of a pivot bearingpin 47, as can be seen from FIG. 2. The pivot bearing pins 47 on theleft and right sides of the sliding lid 3 form a pivot bearing axis forthe sliding lid 3, extending transversely to the direction of sliding.

As can be seen from. FIG. 5 in comparison with FIGS. 3 and 4, the rearguide shoe 24 is constructed corresponding to the forward guide shoe 23and also has a guide plate 49, which is bent upwardly and outwardly toform guide projections 50 and 51, which are slidably guided in theassociated guide grooves 19, 20 respectively. Here again, the guideprojections 50 and 51 may be provided with sliding shoes 48 (FIG. 10) ofplastics, to reduce friction. The already mentioned entraining dog 28 isfirmly connected to the guide plate 49. Here also, the guide plate 49 isfirmly connected to a base plate 52, situated beneath it. The base plate52 penetrates through the gap 22 without contact and terminatesunderneath the sliding lid 3 with a vertically upwardly bent fixingstrip 53. A guide pin 54 is secured to this fixing strip 53.

In the vicinity of the rear edge of the lid and at a distance from itslongitudinal edge, there is a rear lid beam 55, which once again is ofangle section and is fixed to the lower side of the lid, for example bygluing. Its downwardly orientated flange is constructed as a guide block56, which engages in a manner yet to be described with the guide pin 54.For a further explanation of the guide block and the componentsconnected to it, reference is now made to FIGS. 10 to 14.

As can be most clearly seen from FIG. 11, in the guide block 56,adjacent to one another and partly overlapping, a guide slit 57 forengagement with the guide pin 54 is provided at the rear and anelongate, specially shaped aperture 58 is provided at the front. Theguide slit 57 comprises basically four portions, namely a longer, firstrectilinear portion 59, rising from front to rear relative to thesliding lid 3, a rearwardly directed short second portion 60, adjoiningthereto and approximately parallel to the sliding lid 3, a short,obliquely downwardly directed third portion 61, adjoining thereto, and ashort, rearwardly directed fourth portion 62, adjoining thereto andparallel to the sliding lid. The first portion 59 is associated with theoutward pivoting movement of the sliding lid, the second portion 60corresponds to the closed position of the sliding lid 3, the thirdportion 61 is associated with a vertical upward displacement of the rearedge of the lid, and the fourth portion 62, finally, receives the guidepin 54 in the opening sliding movement of the sliding lid 3, raisedsomewhat at its rear edge. In FIG. 12, the guide pin 54 is situated inthe second portion 60, i.e. the sliding lid 3 is in its closed position.In FIG. 13, the guide pin 54 is in the fourth portion 62, i.e. thisfigure shows a position of the components which they adopt during theopening displacement of the sliding lid from the start to the end of theopening displacement. The first portion 59 of the guide slit 57 is opentowards the front for the escape and entry of the guide pin 54 out ofand into respectively the guide block 56. In the position of the slidinglid 3 according to FIG. 11, the guide pin 54 is situated outside theguide block 56. As will be explained later, the engagement of the guidepin 54 into the guide slit 57 of the guide block 56 causes a first phaseof the outward pivoting movement and second phase respectively of theopposite movement, i.e. the inward pivoting movement.

Furthermore, between the rear guide shoe 24 and the guide block 56, acontrol lever 63 is provided, which on the one hand is articulated tothe rear guide shoe 24 and on the other hand is connected rotatably andslidably to the guide block 56. This control lever 63 is associated, ina manner to be described later, with a second phase of the outwardpivoting movement and first phase of the oppositely directed inwardpivoting movement respectively, and during the phases of theeffectiveness of the control lever 63 the engagement between the guideblock 56 and the guide pin 54 is cancelled out.

In the example of embodiment shown, the control lever 63, for thepurpose of its articulation to the rear guide shoe 24, is pivotallyconnected to the guide pin 54, as FIGS. 11 and 14 show. In this mannerthe control lever 63 is pivotally journalled in a plane perpendicular tothe sliding lid 3. At the other end of the control lever 63, this leveris provided with a guide projection 64, engaging into the guide block56. The guide projection 64 is flattened on two parallel, opposite facesand has an elongate form, rounded at its two ends. When the sliding lid3 is closed, during the opening displacement, during the closuredisplacement and during the phases of the outward pivoting and inwardpivoting movements controlled by the engagement between the guide slit57 and the guide pin 54, the guide projection 64 is situated in theaperture 58, the shape of which is determined by the dimensions of theguide projection 64 and the superimposed rotational and displacementmovements of the guide projection 64 in the aperture 58. During thesemovements of the guide pin 64 inside the aperture 58, the control lever63 is in its functionless movement phases.

The aperture 58 opens out, at its front end, into a cylindrical bearingopening 65, in which a fitting bearing disc 66, cylindrical at its outerperiphery, is permanently disposed and rotatably journalled. The fittingof the bearing disc 66 into the bearing opening 65 is, however, suchthat the bearing disc cannot unintentionally rotate in its bearingopening 65, that is to say without engagement with the guide projection64. In the bearing disc 66, there is a diametrally orientated slit 67,continuous at both ends as far as the periphery of the bearing disc 6,for the fitting, non-rotatable seating of the guide projection 64 duringthe second phase of the outward pivoting movement and first phase of theoppositely directed inward pivoting movement, respectively, of thesliding lid 3.

A leaf spring 68 is rigidly fixed to the rear end of the guide block 56.Its free, forwardly projecting arm extends parallel to and underneaththe guide block 56 and is prestressed as a whole towards the guide block56. The leaf spring 68 therefore bears against the guide pin 54 withspring force as soon as the latter emerges at the end of the first phaseof the outward pivoting movement from the guide slit 57. In this way theleaf spring 68 counteracts the rattling noises caused by the play in thesystem.

For a more detailed explanation of a blocking device for undesiredsliding movements of the lid 3 reference is made below to FIGS. 6 to 10.The blocking elements illustrated here may be provided in a mirror-imagearrangement on both sides of the roof opening. They comprise a controlrod 69, fixed to the rear guide shoe 24 and slidably guided on theadjacent, forward guide shoe 23, and also a detent element 70, movablymounted on the forward guide shoe 23 and actuated in a manner yet to bedescribed by the control rod 69, which detent element is associated witha detent recess 71 on the guide rail for the guide shoes 23 and 24. Inthe example shown, the detent recess 71 is in the surface of the outerframe 4 which is towards the sliding lid 3.

The control rod 69 is rigidly fixed to the fixing strip 53 of the baseplate 52 of the rear guide shoe 24. The detent element 70 is pivotallyfixed to the forward guide shoe 23, in the example shown by means of aleaf spring 72, by which the detent element 70 is permanently biased toescape from the detent recess 71. The leaf spring 72 is a component of aspring holder 73, fixed to the bearing flange 44 of the pivot bearingprojection 43. The detent element 70 has, at its end towards the rearguide shoe 24, a run-on slope 74 for the free end of the control rod 69,which is so orientated that the end of the control rod 69 associatedwith it loads the detent element 70 in the direction of displacementtowards the outer frame 4. The end of the control rod 69 is alsoprovided with an inclined surface 75, which is associated with therun-on slope 74 on the detent element 70 and is aligned parallelthereto.

At the rear end of the base plate 42 of the forward guide shoe 23 thereis a right-angled, upwardly cranked flange 76, which on its inside formsa guide surface 77 for the control rod 69, bearing against it in everyposition of the sliding lid. The distance from the guide surface 77 tothe adjacent, parallel surface of the outer frame 4 is so selected thatthis distance approximately equals the transverse dimension of thedetent element 70, as can be best seen from FIG. 9. The dimensional sumof the aforementioned distance and the depth of the detent recess 71 isapproximately equal to the transverse dimension of the detent element 70plus the thickness of the control rod 69, as FIGS. 6 and 7 show. Whenthe sliding lid is closed (FIG. 6) the detent element 70 is in thedetent recess 71 and is held therein by the control rod 69, bearingagainst the guide surface 77. In the pivoted-out positions also of thesliding lid, the detent element 70 is held by the control rod 69 in thedetent recess 71, as seen in FIG. 7. After raising of the rear edge ofthe sliding lid 3 (top sliding-lifting roof), or after lowering of therear edge of the sliding lid 3 (sliding-lifting roof), the control rod69 has released the detent element 70, so that the latter can emergefrom the detent recess 71, as FIG. 8 shows. After cancellation of theengagement, the sliding lid can be displaced rearwards, starting fromthe position shown in FIG. 8. During displacement of the sliding lid 3towards its closed position, the inclined surface 75 of the control rod69 bears against the run-on slope 74 of the detent element 70, but thedetent element 70 cannot displace, because it is sliding along thefacing surface of the outer frame 4. The control rod 69 cannot, however,overtake the detent element 70 because of its bearing against the guidesurface 77. The rear guide shoe 24, driven by the drive cable 27 towardsthe closure direction, therefore displaces by means of the control rod69 the forward guide shoe 23 and thus the sliding lid 3. The closuredisplacement is continued in this way until the detent element 70 hasarrived at the detent recess 71 and is now pushed by the control rod 69into this recess.

It will be seen that the length of the control rod 69 should be sodimensioned, in accordance with the distance between the detent element70 of the forward guide shoe 23 and the rear guide shoe 24 that thecontrol rod 69 completely releases the detent element 70 for the openingdisplacement of the sliding lid 3 (FIG. 8) but bearsforce-transmittingly with its end against the detent element 70 duringthe closure displacement (FIG. 9).

The method of functioning of the above-described sliding-lifting roofconstruction is now explained below. In the closed position of thesliding lid 3 (FIGS. 6, 12) the detent element 70 is situated in thedetent recess 71, and the guide pin 54 is situated in the second portion60 of the guide slit 57. If, starting from this closed position, anopening displacement of the sliding lid 3 is to take place, then byappropriate rotational actuation of the drive pinion 29 (FIG. 15), forexample by the hand crank 78 shown in FIG. 1, the drive cables 27 are sodisplaced in their guide channels 25 and 26 that, for the side of thelid considered here (FIG. 10), the rear guide shoe 24 is displacedrearwards (to the right). The control rod 69 here prevents escape of thedetent element 70 out of the detent recess 71 until the guide pin 54 hasraised the rear edge of the sliding lid 3, by sliding in the thirdportion 61 of the guide slit 57, for at least partially lifting thesliding lid 3 off the sealing profile 9. With the sliding blockarrangement according to FIG. 13a, this movement sequence corresponds,in the case of a sliding-lifting roof which is not rested upon the fixedroof surface, to the movement of the guide pin 54 in the portion 61' ofthe guide slit 57'. The sliding lid 3 is here lowered at its rear edge,in order thereafter to be able to be slid beneath the fixed roofsurface.

If the displacement drive of the rear guide shoe 24 is continued in thestated direction, the guide pin 54 arrives in the fourth portion 62 ofthe guide slit 57, and the control rod 69 releases the detent element70, so that the latter can emerge from the detent opening 71. Thesliding lid is now released for a further opening displacement movement.In the case of a closure displacement, the operations described takeplace in the reverse sequence.

If now the sliding lid 3, starting from its closed position (FIGS. 6,12) is to be pivoted upwards by its rear edge into a ventilatingposition, then the drive cables 27 are driven in the manner describedbut in the opposite direction, so that for the side of the lidconsidered (FIG. 10) the rear guide shoe 24 is displaced forwards (tothe left). The control rod 69 now holds the detent element 70 in thedetent recess 71, with the result that the front guide shoe 23 and thesliding lid 3 connected to it are prevented from displacing. The guidepin 54 comes out of the second portion 60 into the first portion 59 ofthe guide slit 57. Since the guide pin 54 can move only along arectilinear path running parallel to the guide rail formed by the guidegrooves 19 and 20, but the first portion 59 of the guide slit 57 runsobliquely, the sliding lid 3 is raised at the rear by the guide pins 54.This first phase of the outward pivoting movement lasts until the guidepin 54 has arrived at the end of the first portion 59 and emerges fromit. Up to this instant, the control lever 63 has been inactive and wasonly entrained forwards by the guide pin 54 with increasing pivotingclockwise, its guide projection 64 being displaced inside the aperture58. At the end of this displacement movement, the guide projection 64has entered the slit 67 of the bearing disc 66. When the guide pin 54escapes from the first portion 59, the guide projection 64 is situatedcompletely in the slit 67, so that the guide projection 64, togetherwith the bearing disc 66 entrained in rotation by it, can now rotate inthe bearing opening 65 for the second phase of the outward pivotingmovement. A further movement of the guide pin 54 in the stated directionnow leads to a further pivoting of the control lever 63, raising thesliding lid 3, until the maximum position illustrated generally in FIG.11 is reached. In the pivoting-in of the sliding lid, the describedmovement sequence takes place in reverse, and here again the detentelement 70 is held by the control rod 69 in the detent recess 71 tosecure the sliding lid against sliding. During the pivoting of thesliding lid 3, this lid pivots about the axis formed by the pivotbearing pins 47.

The described solar protective panel 16 is independent of the slidingmovements of the sliding lid 3 and can be displaced independently in anyposition of the sliding lid 3.

As FIGS. 11 to 13 in particular illustrate, by the arrangement of thecontrol lever 63 with its pivot bearing in the guide block 56, theresult is advantageously achieved that a long displacement travel of therear guide shoe 24 in the forward direction for completely pivoting outthe rear edge of the lid and an associated long inclined first portionof a guide slit, are partly replaced by a lever extension. In this waythe guide slit 57, which produces the first phase of the outwardpivoting movement, can be made considerably shorter. In the result, bythis arrangement the supporting of the pivoted-out sliding lid isimproved, because the rear support moves nearer towards the rear edge ofthe lid, with the result that the support base, even for the fullypivoted out sliding lid, is comparatively large.

In the described top sliding-lifting roof construction, all thefunctional components of the roof construction which connect the guideshoes 23, 24 to the sliding lid 3, on each side of the roof opening 2,when the sliding lid is closed are situated protected inside a spacewhich is bounded by the outer frame 4, the inner surface of the slidinglid 3, the upward flange 8 with sealing profile 9 and the upper face ofthe fixed roof surface 1.

The outward pivoting or lifting function of the described topsliding-lifting roof construction is guaranteed by the fact that all thefunctional components that participate in the lid pivoting movements,i.e. the guide blocks 56, control levers 63, leaf springs 68 and lidbeams 45, 55, do not project beyond the lateral edges of the sliding lid3, but are arranged set back behind it.

What is claimed is:
 1. A blocking device for sliding-lifting roofs forroof openings of automobiles, the roof comprising a rigid sliding lidwhich is guided with forward and rear guide shoes on guide rails fixedlaterally to the roof opening, the roof is connected in the rear regionto pivoting-out elements and is pivotally journalled by pivot bearingsmounted on the forward guide shoes about a horizontal axis extendingtransversely to the direction of sliding, blocking elements, disposed onat least one side of the sliding lid (3), comprising a control rod (69)fixed to the rear guide shoe (24) and slidably guided on the adjacentforward guide shoe (23), a detent element (70) actuated by the controlrod (69), and a detent recess (71) on a guide rail outer frame (4)receiving the detent element (70) in a tilted position of the roof, thedetent element (70) is attached to the forward guide shoe (23) and iscontinually biased by a spring (72) in the direction of moving out ofthe detent recess (71).
 2. Blocking device according to claim 1,characterized in that the spring is constructed as a leaf spring (72),by which the detent element (70) is fixed to the forward guide shoe(23).
 3. Blocking device according to claim 2, characterized in that thedetent element (70) possesses, at its end towards the rear guide shoe(24), a run-on slope (74) for the free end of the control rod (69),which is so oriented that the end of the control rod (69) bearingagainst it loads the detent element (70) in the direction ofdisplacement towards the guide rail outer frame (4).
 4. Blocking deviceaccording to claim 3, characterized in that the end of the control rod(69) also is provided with an inclined surface (75), which bears againstthe run-on slope (74) on the detent element (70) and is orientatedparallel thereto.
 5. Blocking device according to claim 4, characterizedin that, on the forward guide shoe (23), a guide surface (77) for thecontrol rod (69) is provided, against which the control rod (69) bearscontinuously and the distance of which from the adjacent, parallelsurface of the guide rail outer frame (4) is approximately equal to atransverse dimension of the detent element (70), the dimensional sum ofthe distance and of the depth of the detent recess (71) beingapproximatley equal to the transverse dimension of the detent element(70) plus the thickness of the control rod (69).
 6. Blocking deviceaccording to claim 5, characterized in that the length of the controlrod (69) is so dimensioned, in accordance with the distance between thedetent element (70) of the forward guide shoe (23) and the rear guideshoe (24), that the control rod (69) completely releases the detentelement (70) for the opening displacement of the sliding lid (3), butbears force-transmittingly with its end against the detent element (70)during the closure displacement.